Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-29
A LETTER FROM KANSAS.


in Kansas-the land Of extremes. The
heat came on several weeks before the
4th of July, and lasted until the cool
spell in August; since then, for the
greater portion of the time, the weather
has been beautiful.
The 2Sd TO the 25th of August were
the coolest days ever known during that
month. Overcoats were In demand,
and II was decidedly uncomfortable
without fire; quite a contrast to the
heat Of the summer just past.
The drought was very severe in most
parts of the state, though there are por-
tions where crops will be good, having
had plenty of rain. Here in Woodson
county corn Is almost failure. UP to
the middle of July the prospect was
never better; the last hard rain was the
4th, and from that time there was no
rain of any account until the last Of
August or the first week of September.
To the drought were added the hot
winds, and the chlnch brgs, 80 corn
stood but little chance.
What rains there were were local to
q degree never seen before. On some
farms the corn is a very heavy crop,
there having been good rain just at
the right time on that farm, while on
those adjoining no rain fell, and the
crop is consequently failure.
In my own opinion Kansas will have
to take to planting ninety day corn,
or else adopt some other crop; some
thing which will stand the. extreme hot
drought and hot winds of summer.
Those who had ninety day corn this
year, all have good crops.
The governme mt for some time past
kas been pursuing series of experi-
ments at Ft. Scott, with view of find
ing out whether sugar could be made
from sorghum. These experiments
have attracted wide attention, commits
sioners having been sent from some of
the South American Republics, even,
to watch the progress ofethe tests, and
report to the home governments.
Last week it was announced by those
in charge that the making of sugar
from sorgham was an assured success.
This is all that the people have been
waiting for, and now, If they will take
advantage of it, and there is no doubt
about that, the crop question is solved
for Kansas, for sorghum is certain
crop here, being affected neither by the
drouth nor the chinch bugs. Of course
it will take some years to make the
change from the regulation kind of
farming to the raising Of cane, but be-
fore many years it is probable that
Kansas will take rank as a sugar state.
At present there is quite ripple of
excitement caused by the throwing OPP
en- of railroad lands forfeited to actual
settlers. 1t seems that in 1866 the old
Missouri, Kansas and Texas, now in
cluded In the Missouri Pacific system,
had a grant made them from the gov
ernment of every alternate section. odd
ones, within ten miles on each side of
the center of the track. In cases where
the alternate sections were already oc-
cupied by actual settlers, the railroad
n was not empowered to enter into pos
session. AS great many Of these old
] sections had been taken up, an act was
passed allowing the railroad to take
their choice of any unoccupied sections
laying outside the ten mile limit, and
within twenty miles Of the center OF
the track to indemnify the company
for their loss of occupied sections with
Id the original grant. These last named
sections are known as indemnity lands.
For some reason the patents were new
er issued by the government to many
of these lands. for the reason, / think,
that the railroad failed to fulfill the
conditions required, and last week the
land Office at Independence received
notice that the. Indemnity lands'' had
been declared forfeited, and werel open
to actual settlers under the laws govern.
ing the public domain of the United
States.
1t issaid that in Missouri there are al
most numberless thousands Of acres
thus declared vacant, and that people
are pouring in from all directions and
"squatting" upon the land.
Here in Kansas comparatively few
will be affected, but in Woodson county
there are some, say eleven sections thus
vacant. Several of these are adjoining
the corporate limits of Yates Center, or
one Of which are located the stone
quarries.
Mr.. A. Yates, the owner of thes,
quarries, has erected q house thereon, !
e., a board 'shanty." and proposes t.
stake claim and "prove up" in th'
regular way. Several others have done
the same, while several others havt
had their lands jumped by their neigh
bors getting in ahead of them. One B
these cases seems especially aggravat
ing. A man in town, who had, as h,
siIpposed. owned his land. Is nearl,